A modern day university. You and your band of friends (3-5 players) are members of an official University Club that everybody assumes is a joke or a way to get University funding and a free room; the Kook Club, or the Kooks. Basically, as the University's Club guide outlines, you collect information on anything weird, strange, or odd in town, and deal with the problem in whatever way you can. While most assume that you're a bunch of cranks, people in the... weirder side of town know exactly what you are. You're the problem solvers - you've all dealt with aliens, vampires, werewolves, wizards, intruding spirits and so on. (It's kind of like the SOS-dan combined with the Scoobies, I guess). And this is another adventure for you...

It's been getting slowly hotter over the past month. Everybody's noticed it; the weathermen spout lines from the Bureau of Meteorology, attributing it to an unusual front from the south; conspiracy theorists post about the secret super-heating weapon the government is testing over town, and electronics stores tell anybody who can listen that air conditioners will combat this hot weather, yes-sir-ee! They're all wrong.

The weather is still getting hotter, and hotter, and hotter, and slowly but surely, it's wearing away at people's inhibitions. People are finding it more difficult to control their impulses, just the little ones at first (buy an extra packet of chips. Take somebody's pen) to the more moderate ones (ask somebody out. Act like a jerk to someone you secretly dislike) to the major ones (take some clothes off to deal with this heat...).

Also, anybody old enough to have an obsession with sex, is beginning to think of sex more and more and more...

(for the purposes of this game everybody under the age of 16 is automatically not old enough to have an obsession with sex; somewhat unrealistic, but it won't get me banned. :3)

Your group of friends start out split up all over campus and around the nearby shopping arcade when everybody around you starts to suffer a critical impulse control failure (that is to say, they will start acting incredibly impulsive) and, well, lusty. Players will begin to suffer from a reduced impulse control (they're not going to start actively trying to have sex with people, but they're going to find it a little difficult to control themselves and their thoughts) but not suffer from the lust at all. Your goal for the moment is to get to the clubroom and try and figure out what is going on (and this is your goal because you all recognize this as one of those 'weird' kind of situations, and you have to get to your library to figure out what's going on).

Just a few questions I suppose, so I understand the plot a bit more. Assuming you get enough interest, would you be writing out a bit of an origin for the club? Presumably there would have been some reason for a particular group of young adults to all get together in order to combat paranormal threats, not to mention find the means to deal with them properly.

Also, are there any roles in particular that need to be filled? For instance, individuals who are a bit more versed in the occult, members who are physically capable of handling the more monstrous threads (if not directly in combat, they can at least hold them off), etcetera.

Finally, do you have an idea of where you want the story to go (the climax and finale, I suppose), or will that be made up as it goes along? It can be fun just to have some horny teenage hijinks, but I'd also like if there was a clear plot in the works as well.

The origin is something I have yet to figure out, but I have the shape of an idea somewhere (and I will have to hammer at it to make it so that it doesn't turn out to be, ta-da, that they're in the Buffyverse). Role-wise, I think I might like the equivalent of a Five Man Band, or at least to have the basics of an adventuring party - a natural leader, a 'smart guy', someone with a lot of firepower - whether magical, alien, whatever - a 'rogue', and a healer. I know it sounds a bit like a D&D party, but that's because it basically is, only, well, occult-i-fied or modernised. They probably won't be facing combat, but that's the kind of Group Dynamic they have, because most of their battles are, well, battles. Not weird sex porno fantasy mysteries.

I definitely know what's causing this, and I've got to figure out how exactly to make it a challenging experience - a 'climax' like you said.

On that note, I have no idea if I want to play this as a system game or not. If I do, I guess I would probably be using the nWoD system... maybe... or 4e, although I have zero experience adapting that.

I think the basic nWoD system fits best, thematically, although this is a lot more light-hearted...

Go ahead and post up characters. I'll intervene if I feel I need to - that is, I'll ask questions or reveal more about the Kooks so you can work out your character history. Remember that the Kooks are good friends (or a 'team', anyway), so they all have past history, they've had adventures together, etc.

I want a minimum of 3 players, max of 5, like I said, so if you two know anybody else who might like to play, do direct them this way. :3

Are the characters normal people who solve supernatural problems, or supernaturals who solve supernatural problems? What's magic like, is it cthulu esq with dangerous rituals or is it a more harry potter in born thing?

Think of it as a fantasy kitchen sink; everything combines with everything, even if it makes no logical sense. Some of the characters can be normals, or supernaturals, depending on what you want (I would ask no Werewolves, Vampires, or other creatures that would... work really badly with low impulse control, or have a hard time masquerading as 'normal') - it's really up to you. Magic ranges from demon-god rituals to 'clap-your-hands-if-you-believe' to rewriting the 'code' of the world - whatever you want. Your magic need not neccessarily be the same as somebody else's magic, although it does need to be internally consistent. If in doubt, PM me or post here and we'll hammer away at it.

Appearance: Straight mousy brown hair is cut short, her bangs combed over to hide her left eye. She wears a pair of thick glasses, chosen for durability over glamor, as she has a habit of damaging them. Her usual manner of dress is stifling, always wearing a navy toned uniform blazer and grey pleated skirt from her old boarding school. Sporting grey stockings, a grey bow-tie, and a grey backpack, she isn't a particularly colorful individual save for her emerald eyes. Though she goes out of her way to hide it, puberty was kind, the endowments of her junior year serving only to embarrass her as far as she's concerned.

Perpetually wrapped around her right wrist like a charm bracelet, is her cellphone strap. It's very infrequent that one doesn't find her with her laptop on, or her cellphone pressed against her ear. Strangely, she seems much more talkative when she's on the phone than in actual conversation...

Personality: Sheepish and shy, even around friends, she often finds it easier to text message people right next to her, rather than actually raising her voice loud enough for them to hear. Mary doesn't venture far without her devices.

She is noted as being slightly paranoid as well as being a mild hypochondriac and germaphobe. She has an excellent memory, storing vast amounts of useless information, often correlating numerous facts on the fly into a coherent theory via deductive reasoning.

She claims to receive messages "from beyond", and while those who don't know her might dismiss her calls from the otherside to be hallucinations, her insider information has a tremendous track record for accuracy. Prior to becoming one of the Kooks, she was heavily involved in the Chess Club.

Skills: Ms. Collins is a ritualistic magic user of some talent, specializing in exorcisms and binding ritual. Her laptop serves as a grimoire that contains a remarkably thorough collection of rituals and information regarding the occult.

She seems to possess the natural abilities of a medium, and is noted for her unique ability to speak to the dead through various foci. The deceased seem to have a strange affection for her, rising to help her without the use of rituals. She claims that she doesn't really DO anything, the dead coming unbidden to protect her.

Appearance: Elle is an average looking 19 year old hermaphroditic university student with wavy blonde-brown hair that just reaches above her shoulders and light blue eyes. She stands at an average of 5'6, with a wide hourglass figure but small, b-cup breasts. Her skin is a light Caucasian tone, and she walks with a slight slouch. There is a tatoo of a four leaf clover on the back of Elle's right shoulder blade, and there is a small scar just above her navel from a childhood accident.

Elle favors clothing that are simple, easy to wear and easy to clean. T-shirts, sweaters, and jeans are her standard affair. The most dressing up she does is her wal-mart uniform.

Personality: Elle is a lazy, sarcastic slob of a teenager. Forever a pessimist, she is quick to point out flaws in plans or in others, but glosses over her own failings. She tries to come across as jaded, but the Kook just seems like she's bored all the time. She acts like she's 'seen it all' but has only been with the Kooks for a year. Elle has a few close friends and managed to get a crappy job but still lives at home with her parents. The girl is rather good with details though, and good at coming up with intelligent plans.

Skills: Elle is a Thaumavore, which is a fancy way of saying she's a Magic Paper Towel. Anytime there's some sort of supernatural power about, Elle's body absorbs the latent energy and changes in some fashion. The main benefit of this is to give early warning about some supernatural critter lurking around. Elle would get pointed teeth and a slight blood craving if there was a vampire around, or sneeze sparkly glitter if a wizard was rampaging. The effect is not always noticeable though. She can also crudely track down the source of the power by checking to see which direction causes her symptoms to get worse. The closer she is to the source, the more her body mirrors it.

As a last ditch defense, Elle can latch onto a supernatural source and devour a part of it's energies. She is loath to do this however because it changes her body permanently. She discovered this aspect after a fight with a tentacle monster turned her into a hermaphrodite.

I like it, not least because it could conceivably interact with other 'magic' in a variety of different ways...

I'd be interested to see if I could get a half-way 'normal' member of the Kooks. Or a Strongman. We need a leader archetype and a Big Guy at the moment, and we seem to be a little overloaded on girls (or people who started as girls...)

ShiHong sent me his sheet, which I approved, so hopefully we'll see it in here in a moment.

I'll leave this open for another week or so to see if I can get any more players, and then we'll start. Or if we hit the 5-player limit with characters I like.

I wouldn't mind roleplayers playing non-Kooks, if they wanted, but I guess that's not the focus of the story.

Even from a young age, long before she met the unsuspecting students that would eventually form the Kooks, Tabetha was very much aware of the supernatural. Or that's what she would like others to believe, at any rate. In truth, she just had a rather sensitive imagination. As a child she suffered from unusually hideous nightmares, to the point where it became a rather serious medical concern. Though her doctor prescribed medication after her parents had had just one night of screaming too many, she bluntly refused to take the offered pills. Much to their surprise, she had grown to enjoy the night terrors, perhaps in a rather unhealthy fashion. To this day, she still suffers from insomnia, as shown by the rather deep shadows around her eyes.

Unlike other children, she did not flee from the dark. She reveled in it. At the age of seven she began reading horror novels, skipping over children's books entirely--even the much praised Goosebumps--in favor of more advanced fair. Poe, Machen, Lovecraft, Bloch, Ligotti: she read them voraciously, despite the steep learning curve involved. Though the vocabulary was beyond her, Tabetha did not become intimidated. She kept a plump old dictionary by her side whenever she read, eager to learn the meanings of the gruesome tales that so fascinated her.

By the time she was eleven, the girl had read more than some unfortunate children do in their lifetime, and had worked up an impressive knowledge of fictional eldritch lore. Of course, this was far from enough to satisfy her. In her desperation for new material, she turned to the much criticized pseudoscientific field of cryptozoology, the study of animals or creatures as of yet undiscovered by biologists, specifically those hinted at in legends both ancient and urban. The Loch Ness Monster, Wendigos, Big Foot, Chupacabras, Mongolian Death Worms, Mothman, and even supposed accounts of unicorns and dragons.

Unfortunately, of the creatures that she came to be so proficient in, most of them never actually existed. The likes of Werewolves and Vampires she dismissed outright, though she would later be proven quite wrong. Even to this day she prefers to research more obscure cryptids, even despite evidence of their nonexistence and encountering countless other paranormal phenomenon that whose study would prove far more fruitful. Her knowledge of the fantastic is quite immense, though its usefulness remains extremely narrow.

I like it, not least because it could conceivably interact with other 'magic' in a variety of different ways...

I'd be interested to see if I could get a half-way 'normal' member of the Kooks. Or a Strongman. We need a leader archetype and a Big Guy at the moment, and we seem to be a little overloaded on girls (or people who started as girls...)

ShiHong sent me his sheet, which I approved, so hopefully we'll see it in here in a moment.

I'll leave this open for another week or so to see if I can get any more players, and then we'll start. Or if we hit the 5-player limit with characters I like.

I wouldn't mind roleplayers playing non-Kooks, if they wanted, but I guess that's not the focus of the story.

/EDIT Oh, and Creeper, the Kooks are in Uni, not High School.

I imagine her condition is known to other older Kooks but a fresh newbie wouldn't know. It's not something she advertises, for obvious reasons.

Partially as an attempt to get back to ever posting on this site, but also just because the idea interests me, I would like to sign up, if you have space left. What kind of types/roles/etc are you wanting?

For now Ty, we're looking for a (preferably) male character to take either a leadership role, or one that is more of a 'bruiser' for handling particularly nasty supernatural threats. An athletic sort of person, or fighter, essentially. Human though, so no powers or some such. At least, that's what I get from Jadeling's last post.

Hmm. Trippingsatyr said she was interested in a Xander-style character, which I would probably cast as a leader type.So a male 'normal' dangerous guy. The two immediate ideas to me are :-A big bruiser. Strong, tough, but kind at heart. Probably a bit shy. This particular case might be an eye-opener for him.A skilled marksman, who is basically a bit of a dick. I'd be tempted to play this to the hilt with chainsmoking and a five-o-clock shadow. He might try to take advantage of the situation though he'd still want to *fix* it, just, well, it can wait half an hour to get sorted right? Could be either something like the inheritor of Jesse James' real six-shooters, or just a young man with survivalist parents.

And of course, either of them could be slightly less normal that they think. If Elle sees a little better, or is a little stronger when she's near him, would she notice?

Anyway, if Jadeling (and of course the players) can give me feedback on the ideas, that'd be great. I know they are a bit cliche, and can try to come up with something more original if desired, but archetypes exist for a reason, too.

I think a gunner might be a bit tricky, in the best sort of way. Obviously the other members might be just a bit wary about one of their own running around with firearms while everyone else makes do with...well...whatever it is they do. They are college age, after all. It draws unwanted attention from authority figures, and others could even mistake the Kooks for some sort of gang, instead of a 'club' dedicated to the safety of the city. You could play this up and make it into a bit of a conflict, or find some way of going ranged without the traditional guns.

The bruiser would be far easier to work with, but you'd also run into the problem that he would undoubtedly come up against threats that brute force and fisticuffs (even with brass knuckles) just couldn't solve. Either intangible threats (where cold iron or silver bullets might actually make an impact), or things like werewolves and vampires where even stronger humans are totally outclassed. You could emphasize this conflict as well actually.

What I suppose I'm trying to say is, both archetypes offer a lot in the way of development and struggle, despite being 'cliches'. There's much more to work with than you'd think at a glance. I suppose that's not much help in deciding which of the two to choose, but that's my input! If you need help finding pictures, I might be of use there...

Some quite good points. And it might say a lot about the kind of threats the Kook Club deals with. And also perhaps the strength of the supernatural foes they've come across.

Guns are always an issue, as in the end they are great weapons. Against most things anyway. Of course the 'basement full of guns' style guy will probably not be toting much around without reason, leading to such recriminations as "You didn't tell me it was as big as a bear! I'd have taken the bolt-action then!". But the question as to what the rest of the group does when it comes down to violence comes up too.

A strongman type character might have been more useful in feats of brute strength, or dealing with possessed or misguised people non-lethally. Or perhaps just the kind of guy that wrestles the werewolf to the floor shouting for everyone else to get the silver collar onto it. Or beating back the demon dogs whilst the brains of the party do the excorcism.

Edit : Oh, and if I get in, help finding a picture would be great. I am not good at that, generally.